My husband and I arrived in Venice by train on a Sunday in late September, on Italy�s election day, which made it particularly crazy crowded at the train station. Why? Because we were told that many of the transportation workers chose to count ballots than working their jobs on the vaporetto since it paid more!! It took us a good 45 minutes or more to figure out how to exchange my reservation for (2) 7-day vaporetto passes, get them validated and finally to queue up to board the right water bus. From there it was supposed to be 30-40 minutes to the stop nearest to our hotel, requiring only 1 bridge to cross and a short 5 minute walk. But on that day, that stop was closed for the # 1 Vaporetto. We were mistakenly advised to get off at a different stop, which was wrong, then another stop, which caused us to have to walk over 8 bridges WITH OUR SUITCASES to our hotel. EIGHT!!! Picture walking up and down steps on each bridge with roll-ons. After losing our way, and a melt-down building up, I called the hotel and asked them to rescue us.

That�s how our 5 day stay in Venice started � and we were in a very foul mood as a result. But we ended up having a wonderful stay despite some hiccups, which typically had to do with navigation. So, in that spirit, here are some tried and true recommendations for planning a stress-free stay.

# 1 � Don�t rush your visit! If you�re making a once in a lifetime visit to Venice, take the time and get to know the city. It is truly magical. Take advantage of the many tour offerings that can be easily arranged online (see below). IMHO, 5 days is a minimum amount of time. There�s more to Venice than just seeing the top 5 tourist stops.

# 2- Choose your hotel near a vaparetto stop! A lasting memory of Venice will be the sound of rolling suitcases on pavement all over Venice. There are porters waiting at the train station that you can hire (perhaps in advance). It�s totally worth whatever it costs. We stayed at Hotel Saturnia. It�s a short walk to St. Marks Square and to a vaparetto stop. I noticed several travel groups, which made the small lobby quite busy at times. They have a popular bar and a rooftop lounge. Request a room in the newer, remodeled area, in the back where it is quieter. The staff are very nice and accommodating.

# 3 Purchase a multi-day Vaparetto pass. Our 7-day pass cost E70 pp. Consider that each ride costs a ridiculous 7 or 8 euros. Going by private water taxi to/from a restaurant, or the train station or airport is 80 Euros alone. You will be using the Vaporetto a lot. The Traghetto, which crosses the canal at various points costs 2 euros. I purchased an advanced vaparetto weekly ticket on �Getyourguide.com. But you can purchase them outside at the train station at staffed kiosks.

# 4 - Hire local tour guides � either privately or with small groups. There is so much to see and getting a good tour guide will enrich your experience. Through �tours with locals� we signed up for a 2-hour, private walking tour in the Dosoduro neighborhood with Marzia, a native Venetian, who spoke perfect English and was delightful and well informed. It was on this walk that we entered the Church of San Sebastiano, which featured frescoes and canvases of Veronese. That is what is makes Italian cities like Venice and Florence so extraordinary � the treasures of renaissance art can be found everywhere.

On the Viator platform, we signed up for a tour with WALKS of St Marks Basilica and the doges Palaces and were lucky enough to have NICO as a tour guide. Nico has a masters in Art History, speaks fluent English and he�s fun. https://www.viator.com/tours/Venice/...e/d522-15693P8

On another day, we explored the the Jewish Ghetto in the Cannaregio district. There are many tours you can find online but we chose to arrange a small group tour directly with (https://www.museoebraico.it/en/museum/ which included a one-hour tour of two Synagogues (Spanish and Levantine) I think this would be interesting learning for people of all faiths.

On our own, we visited Ca Rezznonico � the 18th century residence of the Rezznonico family featuring frescoes by Tintoretto and furnishings of the era. Before we left home, we had viewed a presentation about this palace, hosted by Context Travel (www.contexttravel.com) and this primed us for an informed visit.

We also visited the Peggy Guggenheim museum featuring her collection of late 19th century and 20th century modern art including Max Ernst (at one time her husband), Jackson Pollack, Calder and many others. The Terrace on the grand canal is a lovely place to sit for a while and they have a very nice caf� that is well priced. It is important to reserve in advance. We bypassed a very long line going in and when exiting because we had timed tickets.

# 5 - It isn�t always easy finding your way around Venice. Street names can change from block to block and the blue dot on google maps doesn�t always correlate to where you are! So, plan your route before you leave your hotel, allow enough time for getting lost and bring a large capacity extra phone battery. Create a personal map on Apple Maps and/or use Google maps.

Still, expect some snafus. My husband and I dined at Linedombra restaurant and the return to our hotel, not far from St Marks square, should have been a 10 minute walk (or a short swim across the canal). But after dinner, we discovered that the Traghetto (the boat that takes you across the canal) was closed (temporarily because they were still counting election ballots!)and the Vaporetto stop was closed also. So we had to walk a mile and over 2 bridges to get to our hotel. A private taxi would have been 80 euros.

# 6- Given the amount of tourists Venice receives, (15,000 per day on average), there are many restaurants and cafes that are tourist friendly. But it�s better to seek recommendations from Venetians or more experienced �foodies.� Reservations are absolutely needed for lunch or dinner at the better restaurants though we did luck out at 2 places due to no shows or just plain good luck.

Here are a few recommendations we received and I'll pass on...

• Lineadombra in the Dorsoduro. We intended to eat dinner on their large deck on the water but because of the chilly weather, we chose to sit inside. It�s very good, distinctive and a place for a special meal. Expect to pay 75E pp before wine or dessert. Advance reservations a must.
• We had lunch at Restaurant Zucca. They offer a Superb menu that is heavy on vegetarian plates. So delicious. Eat inside or at outside tables in the front. $42 for 2 without wine or dessert. Both areas are nice. Again, advance reservations are necessary. (We were lucky to get a table because of a no-show.
• Trattoria Ai Cugnia- Our Dosoduro guide recommended this restaurant where the gondaliers have their mid-day meals. It was excellent and well-priced. We lucked out without a reservation due to a no-show but many others were turned away. $46 without wine/dessert.
• Il Covo � this is a well known treasure, family owned. They grow their own produce on a nearby island and the service is superb. Reservations are absolutely needed. We had lunch there and the food was terrific. $87 without wine.
• We had had a reservation for Locanda Montin, which is supposed to be excellent and you can only book one month out, not longer. But it wasraining and we were exhausted from all the navigating that is required to get from one place to another. So I cancelled the reservation regrettably.

And a final recommendation -- because of the humidity and a lousy wall hair dryer at our hotel, I had very bad hair days. I gave up and went to a hair salon for a wash and blow dry. She was terrific � I�d go to her regularly if I could. It�s called Suzy Salon and it cost $25. It's located in the area behind the Rialto market.

And, a final, final recommendation. Venice was very crowded in early October - not that much better than during the summer months, we were told. So, if you have a choice, plan a visit outside of May-October to avoid crowds.

# 7 Learn how to spell: it's Vaporetto and gondoliers.

Completely agree that Venice needs time. It is magical. It is lovely to come out of Santa Lucia Station and feel you are on familiar ground. Sorry getting around was stressful. It won’t be next time. Once you kind of get the layout, it is not bad. Besides maps and routes on devices, for Venice, I still love old fashioned paper maps, the little ones that fold up to almost credit card size and have tiny pictures of landmark buildings and churches. Don’t know if they even still make those. We rarely got lost using them. Some old guide books used to have similar fold outs.

In Italy, it is always expected that you should make dinner reservations. They do not expect to fill a table more than once, so reservations is how they plan their business. It is also considered good manners and we find we always have a warmer welcome and better table with reservations. Sometimes, just stopping in an hour or two before dinner or as we walked around sight seeing, and making the reservation was great.

I stayed at Hotel Saturnia a few years ago. I always bring my own hairdryer but our bathroom did have a slight funny problem. The bathroom light only stayed on if there was movement in the bedroom. After a few minutes it would shut off and go completely black as there was no window. I was traveling with someone who insisted on sleeping while I was showering so I would have to keep the door cracked and yell “move your arms around” when it happened, I was lucky I wasn’t solo traveling and just a funny memory.

Hi Stricky,
Glad to hear that you had a successful trip and good to see your sharing tips here.
We once rented next door to Montin then again the following week, in one of their own rooms above.
In my opinion, one dines there more for the fantasy setting out back, as opposed to quality of food.
We enjoyed it but would opt to look elsewhere next time.

I am done. The Dorso

It is always interesting to me to see/hear how many visitors to Europe have very low interest in "knowing" their destination. They go in for two nights, breeze past the top sights, and check it off their list. I do wonder what does interest them. We have been to Venice 3 times, each time exploring different areas not yet seen, and still have a list. Same for Paris, where we've been 6 times (and still didnt get through our planned-to-do list this Fall). I believe it has to do with genuine curiosity (or lack thereof) and whether you take notice of details. I love to explore the shoppes, particularly those whose craftsmanship is non-paralleled in the U.S.

Stricky, I might just add when visiting Venice to stay far away from the Rialto and Duomo areas. We have always stayed in the Dorsoduro, not far from Accademia bridge, and it is very convenient and quiet. Walking along the Zattere is always lovely to access points down the GC (or is it up??)

Zebec, The back garden did look really nice but since it was rainy, we would have had to dine inside anyway. Now I don't regret our cancellation so much....

AliceD - I'm with you on this. I have been to Paris many times - sometimes for a month or longer - and I still read and research before a visit. (see my trip report from June 2018). I love to "live locally" if I have the time (and my husband agrees) to stay put for a while. I did like Venice and I know there's more to see and experience than our 5 days permitted. I also know I will never go back during the crowded months. Also, the walking tour we had in the Dosoduro piqued my interest in that area - it was certainly quieter. Next time. Thanks for your comment.

Stricky - you were very unlucky to arrive in Venice when there was an election and the vaporetti were not running properly. I've only ever had that problem when there has been acqua alta [abnormally high water due to tides and wind] but never had to walk with my luggage over a dozen bridges so I feel your pain. I know how nice it is to stay more in the centre of Venice but my favourite hotel is within about 10 mins walking distance of the station with only one bridge to cross and is also just round the corner from a alilaguna stop - a combination you might like to consider next time just in case you run into more transport problems.

my advice is get up early and tour around, firstly you get to miss the city when the fat boat people are about so reasonably pleasant and you get to see the service functions happening like the bins being emptied by boat etc, easily the most magical time

my other advice is take a trip further into the lagoon on a vaporetto just to enjoy time on the water away from the town but return seeing it grow in your vision

Agree with both of those, Bilbo. From the daily rubbish removals [it needs to be outside your door before 7am] to the veg and fruit deliveries, the barges bringing all manner of goods to shops and hotels, and taking away the rubbish, the pronto sicorso and the vigil del fuoco, early morning Venice is a delight, and a great insight into how the city works.

Also a trip out to Torcello is a must for me every time; however crowded central Venice is, by the time you reach the 1000 year old duomo, very few will have made it with you.

annhig, when was the last time you were there? They have changed garbage pick up in some parts of the city. In some areas you can�t leave it out, you have to take it to the boat yourself. In some areas you give it to a collector instead of leaving on the street. They announce themselves, and even knocked on my door last time I was there (October.)

i don�t think it�s something I�d get up early for to watch, but to each his own!

Hello Annhig - what's the name of the hotel? I'll check it out for next time! Thanks.

Torcello and the other Islands are also on my list for next time....

Tip #8. Get a decent paper map before you arrive. Having a paper map makes it easier to ask for directions.

Tip #9. Get the app Chebateo?. The app links to the vaporetto routes and timetables, in real time.
Plug in departure and arrival vap stops, and the app gives you route numbers and changes if any.

Try for instance San Basilio to Torcello.

If travelling to Venice October to January, acqua alta, tidal flooding, is probable, Mose notwithstanding. The app Water on the Venice Floor gives tidal predictions and likely places of inundation.

Agree 100%. It is also nice to be a bit familiar with the layout of a place before leaving home. It helps too when GPS is wrong. LOL.

I remember visiting back in 2015 and even then it was so overcrowded I found the whole experience disappointing and the place seriously overrated. Can't imagine what it would be like now.

<<I remember visiting back in 2015 and even then it was so overcrowded I found the whole experience disappointing and the place seriously overrated. Can't imagine what it would be like now.>>

billyread - I've been to Venice probably a dozen times since 2015 and those crowds are usually pretty easy to avoid if you know where to go. And clearly I don't agree with you that it's over-rated.

Billread6911- Well, because it was in October and not the middle of the summer - it wasn't quite as bad as what you experienced and not so bad that we couldn't get a feel for Venice. It is truly a remarkable and beautiful city. And it's positively stunning to be on the canal at night.